Strand twisting device



July 7, 1942. A. J. DowD I STRAND TWISTING DEVICE Filed April 3D, 1941 Patented July 7, 1942 v STRAND 'rwls'rmo DEVICE Archie J. Dowd, Plainfield, N. J., assignor to Western Electric Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application April 30, 1941, Serial No. 391,076

'l Claims. (Cl. 140-119) This invention relates to strand twisting devices and more particularly to a device for intertwisting a plurality of wires to form a splice during the manufacture of electrical coils.

An object of this invention is the provision of a simple and practical device forj eiciently and economically intertwisting a plurality of strands.

In attaining this object, there is provided in one embodiment of the invention a rotatable shaft terminating at its outer end in a iiattened and widened jaw portion, the shaft carrying a member pivoted thereon and having a jaw portion which mates with the jaw portion on the shaft. The jaws are normally closed by a leaf spring carried by the shaft acting against the pivotal jaw member and may be separated for the purpose of inserting the ends of the wires to be intertwisted or of permitting the removal of the wires after being intertwisted by manually releasing a bell crank lever carrying a lug,

the lever being normally movable by a spring to carry its lug into the path of a lug carried on the pivotal jaw member and the engagement of the lugs also serve as stop means to prevent rotation of the shaft at the end of the operation,

the shaft being driven from an electric motor through a friction slip clutch.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood by reference to the following specification and the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. l is a fragmentary side view illustrating one embodiment of a wire twisting device embodying the features of the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary View, partly in section, of Fig. 1 with the shaft rotated 90 degrees from its position shown in Fig. 1 and the cooperating jaws shown opened and Wires inserted therebetween for intertwisting;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary plan View of Fig. 2 showing the cooperating jaws closed and the wires intertwisted;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2, and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical detail section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Referring now to the drawing and particularly to Fig. 1, a bed plate or support for the improved Wire twisting device is indicated at I0, which may be mounted on a work bench or table. Attached to the right hand end of the bed plate is a standard II in which is carried a bearing I2 for a rotatable twister shaft I3. The right hand or free end of the twister shaft I3 projects from the bearing I2 and terminates at its outer end in a flattened and widened jaw portion I4 (Fig. 2), having a face I1 upon which wires, indicated at I8, to be intertwisted, are placed. As clearly shown in Fig. 2, wherein the shaft I3 has been rotated from the position shown in Fig. l, the jaw face II is substantially in the plane of the longitudinal axis of the shaft. Pivoted to the shaft I3, as indicated at I9, is an irregular shaped member 2U provided with a jawportion 2| which mates with the jaw portion H of the shaft I3. v

As shown in Fig. 3, the member 20 includes side arms 24 which extend longitudinally of and at each side ofthe shaft I3 and inwardly from the jaw portion 2|, the pivot I9 passing through both arms. At their inner ends, opposite the jaw portion 2|, the side arms 24 are interconnected by a yoke portion 25 (Fig. 5) extending around three sides of the shaft I3. Projecting from the yoke portion 25 at its right hand side (Fig. 5) is a lug 26. Secured in a seat formed in the top of the shaft I3, as Viewed in Figs. 2. 3 and 5, intermediate the side arms 24 of the pivotal member 2o is a leaf spring 2l which serves to normally swing the member 23 clockwisey as viewed in Fig, 2, to carry the jaw portion 2! thereof into engagement with the jaw portion Iii of the shaft I3. When the action of the leaf spring 2l is overcome, in a manner to be hereinafter described, in order to open the jaw portions Id and 2| the pivotal member 20 is turned counterclockwise about its pivot I9 and such movement is limited by the yoke portion 25 engaging the shaft I3, as indicated at 28, Fig. 2.

Pivoted at 3| to the right hand side of the standard (Figs. 2 and 5) is a bell crank lever 32 having a horizontal arm 33 extending towards the right (Figs. 2 and 3) and provided with a handle 34. A vertical arm 35 of the lever 32 at its free upper end is provided with a short arm or lug 38, which is normally moved counterclockwise into the path of the lug 26 on thepivotal jaw member 2U by a coiled tension spring 39 attached at opposite ends to the lever 32 and the standard I, as shown in the full line position of the lever in Fig. 2. A stop pin 40 secured on the standard II and arranged in the path of the vertical arm 35 of the lever 32 limits the counterclockwise movement of the lever about 'its pivot I9.

The twister shaft I3 in the present embodiment of the invention is rotated in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 4, during the twisting operation by means of an electric motor 4I (Fig. 1) having its continuously rotating shaft 42 connected to the shaft I3 by a friction slip clutch, indicated in general at 45. Pinned to the shaft I3 is a cup-shaped sleeve 46 to the enlarged inner peripheral surface of which are freely fitted semi-circular sleeves 41 of suitable friction material for frictionally engaging the outer periphery of a sleeve 43 pinned to the motor shaft 42, the friction sleeves being slightly spaced apart at their longitudinal edges. At equally spaced points around the sleeve 46 and freely set in radial openings 49 in the wall there.

of are spring pressed cylindrical shaped shoes 52 which bear at their inner ends on the outer perpheries of the friction sleeves 41. Each of the cylindrical shoes 52 carries a pin 53 having its inner end entered in an aperture in the friction sleeves 41, two to each sleeve, which serves to prevent relative rotation between the cupshaped sleeve 46 and the friction sleeves 41. Surrounding and bearing in seats 54 formed in the outer ends of the shoes 52 is an annular coiled spring 55 effective to force the shoes against the friction sleeves 41 with sufcient pressure to maintain frictional driving engagement between the driving motor shaft sleeve 43 and the friction ring and thus to normally drive the twister shaft I3.

Fitted to the left hand end of the clutch sleeve 48 with a driving t is a bearing 56 (Fig. 2) which rotates on the sleeve 48 but is prevented from rotating on the inner periphery of the cupshaped sleeve 46 when the clutch slips by two pins 51 projecting through the sleeve 46 and into bearing 56. The pins are held in place by a at spring surrounding sleeve 46 over the pins, Bearing 56 is made of a material containing a lubricant and does not require oiling. To prevent the oil from the motor from seeping onto the outer peripheries of the friction sleeves 41, the friction sleeves and the bearing sleeve are separated by an annular channel 58 formed in the inner periphery of the sleeve 46 and a plurality of radial apertures 59, which serve to throw any excess oil entering the channel 53 from the clutch by centrifugal force.

In using the above described device, it will be assumed that the motor shaft 42 is rotating and the bell-crank lever 32 has been swung counterclockwise to its full line position (Fig. 2) by the action of the spring 39 after the operator had released the handle 34 of the lever upon completion of the last twisting operation. In this position of the lever the lug 38 thereof is engaged with the lug 26 of the pivotal jaw member and the member has been swung counterclockwise by the torque exerted on the twister shaft I3 and against the action of the spring 21 to open the jaws I4 and 2I and the engagement of the lugs is also preventing the rotation of the twister shaft I3, the clutch 45 slipping at this time.

The device as shown in the drawings is being used to form a splice 68 (Fig. 3) of the wires I8 of an electrical coil 62 (shown fragmentarily) held by the operator by an intertwisting of the wires. To form the splice 63 the operator inserts the wires I8 in substantially parallel arrangement on the jaw face I1 of the twister shaft I3 and then grasping the handle 34 of the bell crank lever 32 rocks it clockwise to withdraw the lug 38 out of engagement with the lug 26 of the pivotal jaw member 23. The instant this is done, the released leaf spring 21 rocks the pivotal jaw member 23 clockwise to its closed position, thereby grasping the wires I8 between the jaws I4 and 2l. Simultaneously with the withdrawal of the lug 33 from the lug 26 the friction clutch 45 is effective to transmit rotary motion from the motor shaft 42 to the twister shaft I3 and the intertwisting of the wires I8 commences. The operator simply pulls the wiresthrough the jaws and the wires are intertwisted as they pass through the jaws and the twisting stops when the wires are completely withdrawn. 'Ihe twister jaws act in a manner similar to an operators fingers if the twisting were done manually, the

Y speed of the withdrawal of the wires controls the number of twists in a given longitudinal length. The spring 39 rocks the lever 32 counterclockwise, thus moving the lug 38 into the path of the lug 26 of the pivotal jaw member 23. Upon the rotating lug 2G engaging the lug 38, the torque exerted on the twister shaft I3 through the fric- Lion clutch 45 automatically swings the pivotal jaw 28 to its open position and maintains it in such position (Fig, 2) until the lug 38 is again withdrawn from the lug 26. The twister shaft is consequently held from rotating, the sleeve 48 on the motor shaft 42 at this time slipping on the friction ring 41 mounted on the twister shaft.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that a simple and practical device is provided for intertwisting wires wherein the wire grasping and twisting rotatable jaws are automatically closed or opened, stopped in a horirontal position for unloading and reloading and caused to rotate by merely rocking the lever 32 clockwise or releasing it.

It will be understood that the embodiment herein described is merely illustrative of the invention and one application thereof, the invention being limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In a device for intertwisting strands, rotatable cooperating jaws for grasping strands to be intertwisted, one of said rotatable jaws being movable relative to the other to open and closed positions, means for urging said relatively movable jaw to a closed position, driving means for rotating said jaws, and means movable into the path of said relatively movable jaw during its rotation eifective to move the same from its closed position and automatically stop the rotation of said jaws by said driving means.

2. In a device for intertwisting strands, a rotatable shaft having a jaw portion, a jaw memcer cooperating therewith to grasp strands for intertwisting, said jaw member being relatively movably carried on said shaft, means for urging said jaw member to a closed position, driving means for rotating said shaft, and means arranged for movement into the path of said jaw member during its rotation effective to move the same from its closed position and automatically stop the rotation of said shaft by said driving means.

3. In a device for intertwisting strands, a rotatable shaft having a jaw portion, a jaw member cooperating therewith to grasp strands for intertwisting, said jaw member being pivotally carried on said shaft, means for urging said jaw member to a closed position, driving means for rotating said shaft, and a pivotal lever having an arm movable into the path of said jaw member during its rotation effective to move the same from its closed position and automatically stop the rotation of said shaft by said driving means.

4. In a device for intertwisting strands, a rotatable shaft having a flattened jaw portion, a jaw member mating therewith to grasp strands for intertwisting, said jaw member being pivotally carried on said shaft, the mating faces of said jaw portion and member being substantially in the plane of the longitudinal axis of the shaft, means for urging said jaw member to a closed position, driving means for rotating said shaft, and means movable into the path of said jaw member during its rotation effective to move the same from its closed position and automatically stop the rotation of said shaft by said driving means.

5. In a device for intertwistinU strands, a rotatable shaft having a flattened jaw portion at its outer end, a jaw member mating at one end With said jaw portion to grasp strands for intertvvisting, said jaw member being pivotally carried on said shaft, the mating faces of said jaw portion and member being substantially in the plane of the longitudinal axis of the shaft, yieldable means for urging said jaw member to a closed position, means for limiting the movement of said jaw member to an open position, driving means for rotating said shaft, and means movable into the path of said jaw member during its rotation effective to move the same from its closed position and automatically stop the rotation of said shaft by said driving means,

6. In a device for intertwisting strands, a rotatable shaft having a flattened jaw portion at a its outer end, a jaw member mating at one end with said javv portion to grasp strands for intertwisting, said jaw member being pivotally carried on said shaft, means for urging said jaw member to a closed position, driving means including a friction slip clutch connected to said shaft for rotating the same, and a pivotal lever having an arm movable into the path of said jaw member during its rotation effective to move the same from its closed position and automatically stop the rotation of said shaft by causing said clutch to slip.

'7. In a device for intertvvisting strands, a rotatable shaft having a jaw portion, a jaw member cooperating at one end therewith to grasp strands for intertwisting, said jaw member being pivotally carried on said shaft and adapted to engage the jaw portion of said shaft in a closed position and at its opposite end to engage said shaft in an open position, means for urging said jaw member to its closed position, said jaw member having stop means extending therefrom at said latter end, driving means for rotating said shaft, a pivotal hand lever, and means for moving said lever in one direction when released, said lever having an arm movable upon release into the path of said stop means carried by the jaw member during its rotation effective to move the same from its closed position and automatically stop the rotation of said shaft by said driving means.

ARCHIE J. DOWD. 

